1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to managing resources in a telecommunications network or computer system environment.
2. Related Art
Telecommunications network products are services provided by telephone companies that are carried on telecommunications networks. A widely known example is dial-1 long distance voice service which allows a customer to dial a 1 plus a ten digit number from his or her home telephone, talk to a party who answers the telephone on the line of the ten digit number dialed, and pay for the telephone call when billed at the end of the month.
Although dial-1 is popular, other calling and payment options, also referred to as enhanced services, are sometimes preferable. For example, debit calling allows an individual to make a call from a phone other than their home phone and charge the call to the debit account. With debit calling, also referred to as prepaid calling, a customer puts finds in an account and has those funds debited each time a telephone call is made. Another calling and payment option is collect calling in which the call is billed to the receiving party's account.
Enhanced services are not limited to other calling and payment options. Enhanced services can provide a customer with information such as access to news and weather. Another enhanced service is 1-800-MUSICNOW which gives a telephone caller the ability to select and listen to music and then order a recording of the music by entering selections in response to menu prompts using the keypad of the telephone.
Enhanced services are possible because intelligent services networks (ISNs) within telephone companies telecommunications networks have advanced capabilities needed to process the enhanced service calls. The ISNs are networks that comprise ISN components capable of performing enhanced service call processing functions. Exemplary ISN components include computer systems that store data and perform protocol conversion and exchanges, also referred to as switches that route calls. In addition, for processing enhanced service calls, information about customers, calls, and telecommunications services is needed.
The information and ISN components are resources. Within a telecommunications network, resources are sources of assistance in performing functions needed to process calls.
For example, information such as the destination number dialed by a caller provides assistance in call processing by providing the area code which can be translated to determine what telecommunications network circuits should be used by ISN components to route the call to the intended recipient.
Information about resources may be obtained in multiple ways. For example, reports may be available that provide printed information about the resources. In addition, information may be available on-line by a human operator entering commands. Also, alarms may be generated that alert a human system overseer that a particular resource or group of resources is unavailable, malfunctioning, and/or in use more often than recommended. In typical ISNs, information is stored in an automated call distributor (ACD), an intelligent service network application processor (ISNAP), and other ISN components. The ACD provides the call switching, queuing, and protocol conversion functions. The intelligent service network applications processor (ISNAP) provides group selection functionality for the ISN.
Information about the resources is typically stored in electronic format in one or more computer systems. Application programmer interfaces (APIs) may be used to communicate call processing information and information about telecommunications components within a computer program. The APIs are procedures for communication within a computer program that reside in main memory and are processed by a processor. The APIs are used by programmable switches, such as the Excel programmable switch, to perform call processing functions. The API used by the Excel programmable switch is described in a document entitled, “Excel API specification revision 5.0.” Additional APIs include the Tabman, Queman, Sysmem, and Shmman APIs that are described in more detail below.
Typically, information about resources is handled in a non-standard, de-centralized manner. Information about various components within a telecommunications network is accessible via the particular component. For example, central processing unit (CPU) availability of a switch is obtained from the switch. Information about the processing capability of computer systems that assist the switch is stored in memory of the computer systems. In addition, information is only accessible using commands or APIs that can be understood by the component storing the information. For example, to access information about the switch, commands that can be understood by the switch must be used to obtain the data about the switch that is stored within the switch. To access information about a computer system assisting the switch, commands understood by the assisting computer system must be used.